The Target Corporation has traditional marriage and family in the crosshairs of its bulls-eye.

Target has now declared its support for homosexual “marriage.” However, the Minnesota-based retailer has gone past the point of articulating support for gay “marriage” and has jumped into the fray to wield its influence with the courts on this issue.

Working to overturn the vote of the people regarding the true definition of marriage, Target has filed an amicus brief with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals pushing for so-called marriage “equality” regarding the ban on same-sex marriage in Wisconsin and Indiana. (The case is before the Circuit Court on appeal, after a federal court in each of these two states unilaterally overturned these states’ affirmation of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.) In an example of sticking it’s nose where it doesn’t belong, this case doesn’t even affect Minnesota, the home of Target’s headquarters, where gay marriage is already legal thanks to the state’s legislature vote in 2013.

While Target has long offered health benefits to the “partners” of its LGBT employees, the corporation has for the most part stayed neutral in declaring support for gay “marriage.” In 2012 Target refused to take sides when a state referendum sought to ban same sex “marriage” in Minnesota. In fact, all of the state’s largest companies stayed neutral on the issue – except General Mills which has long supported gay “marriage.” (The referendum was narrowly defeated.)

At the time, in 2012, Target stated: “We recognize that there is a broad range of strongly held views on the Minnesota Marriage amendment.”

Now, two short years later, Target states: "It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage.”

Someone should explain to Target that “equality” doesn’t mean sameness. I as a female may be equal in worth to a man, but I am not the same. There are many things we as individuals are not legally allowed to do without meeting certain criteria – that does not mean we aren’t treated equally under the law. And certain criteria and limitations have always applied to marriage in this nation of freedoms. Any adult can be married – as long as they meet the criteria. And the criterion that has stood since God ordained the institution of marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

In 2010 Target also came under fire – then from homosexual activists who threatened to boycott the company after Target donated $150,000 to a GOP gubernatorial candidate who opposed homosexual marriage.

Some reports claim this latest move by Target to push the homosexual agenda is an effort to win back support from the LGBT community. However, with the recent survey results from the Centers for Disease Control revealing that less than 3% of the United States population identifies as gay or bi-sexual, and 96.6 % of Americans label themselves as heterosexual, why is Target more fearful of offending LGBT shoppers instead of Christian shoppers?

Perhaps we Christians don’t have enough of a reputation of putting our money where our mouth is. In fact, we often don’t put our mouth where our beliefs are.

As we see those beliefs under attack with growing intensity each day, I pray we will wake up, speak out, and act in defense of biblical Truth – and that includes applying biblical stewardship to where we shop.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Family Council, which led the fight against homosexual marriage in Minnesota warned, “This is a very risky business decision and ultimately the wrong one because it is families that shop at Target. People in Minnesota are still deeply divided on this issue.”

A 2013 Star Tribune Minnesota poll revealed that 46 percent of Minnesotans supported legalized same-sex marriage, but 44 percent were opposed, with 10 percent undecided. Yet Target is willing to offend basically half of the population in Minnesota, as well as the populations in other states where the opposition to homosexual marriage is often even higher.

One person commenting on a Minnesota Star Tribune report stated:

“I would rather Target (and all companies) spend more of their time selling me their products and less of their time selling me their politics. If individuals at the company want to donate or sign on to issues or whatever, fine. But we need to get away from asking companies what they expect from their government and back to asking the people.”

Another person writing on Target’s webpage is putting their money where their beliefs are:

“Just lost my business. I hold to the truth that God designed marriage and not man and that God set up marriage between one man and one woman. Sorry Target, I will not shop in your stores again.”

I know I’ll take my business to Target’s competitors. What about you?

Besides not shopping at Target, here a couple of other suggested actions to take:

- If you have a Target credit card, cut it up and return it to the company, or send copies of past receipts, with a note expressing your displeasure at the company’s choosing to align with the LGBT agenda instead of remaining neutral on this issue.

- If you know of a family member planning a wedding or expecting a baby, urge them not to use Target’s bridal and baby registry.